Sports
Tillakaratne backs Bangladesh to make an impression in Sri Lanka
Hashan Tillakaratne, Bangladesh women’s head coach, feels that playing two-day cricket will help his charges prepare well for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. BCB recently launched the Bangladesh Cricket League, women’s two-day cricket tournament, with the leading cricketers of the country divided into three teams in Khulna.
Following the tournament, Bangladesh began their week long training camp at Khulna’s Sheikh Abu Naser Cricket Stadium on Monday (April 10) ahead of the series against Sri Lanka at their own den.
Tillakaratne, who joined the women’s team in October last year, watched the players from close quarters during the tournament in order to acquire more knowledge on their strengths and weaknesses.
“The preparation has been really good. I think two-day games will definitely help them to improve their game. After playing two-day game they have learnt so many things so I’m sure the preparation is very good and they will do well in Sri Lanka,” Tillakaratne told Cricbuzz.
“I think BCB has taken a very good initiative to introduce two-day cricket to the Bangladesh women’s team. I am sure they will use this platform to achieve many things in years to come,” he said.
The former Sri Lankan batsman added that he is quite impressed with the fitness of the women cricketers in the longer-version considering the fact it was their maiden journey in red ball cricket. He also added that opener Murshida Khatun, who scored a century in the tournament, will be much better placed as far as understanding her game is concerned following her long stay at the wicket.
“Of course they’re fit enough (to play longer-version cricket) because they’re checking their fitness regularly and most of the girls do pretty well in their YOYO test,” said Tillakaratne.
Tillakaratne did not have a good outing so far in the Bangladesh dressing room as they hardly managed to make an impression in the T20 World Cup and in the New Zealand tour. They lost the three-match T20I series by a clear margin while New Zealand also won the ODI series 1-0 after the final two games were abandoned.
Following the series, Bangladesh went to South Africa to play in the World Cup and lost all four games in the ICC global event, though Tillakaratne feels that their performance does not reflect their real standard.
“Yes true, we failed in the World Cup unfortunately but there’s so many positives in our game right now and the girls have learned a lot from those games,” he said adding that playing in the sub continent certainly makes them more confident against Sri Lanka.
“As we’re going to play in subcontinent wickets it will help us and it will be a challenging and competitive series. If we can utilize our potential and skills then we can beat them. Of course we have plans against them but I don’t think it’s the right time to discuss all my plans. Girls are prepared for the challenge. I’m sure they will turn the tables on them and I’ve a lot of confidence in them.”
Tillakaratne added that if right-arm pacer Marufa Akhter learns to swing both ways she will be one of the lynch-pins in the side going ahead. “Marufa is another young prospect in Bangladesh cricket and I think her performances during the T20 world cup were very amazing and everyone talks about her performances. I think she will bring so many good things in years to come,” he said.
“Yes, she has a very good in swinger and I believe she will develop a good out swinger also in time to come. But right now we are concentrating on what she can do. She is young and she is learning right now. We don’t want to put undue pressure on her now as she is enjoying her game. So in years to come she will develop so many things.”
The first ODI against Sri Lanka is scheduled to be held on April 29 whereas the next two games will be played respectively on May 2 and 4. The three T20Is are scheduled on May 9,11 and 12. The ODI series will be part of the ICC Women’s Championship.
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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